A high commission rate means nothing if the program never pays you. Most software companies pay their affiliates correctly, but some have broken tracking, vague terms or payout rules that make it hard to ever reach a payment. Spending a few minutes on checks before you create content saves you weeks of work for nothing.
This guide gives you a checklist to judge whether an affiliate program is legit and actually pays, before you promote it.
1. Check how the program is tracked
Serious programs use a dedicated affiliate platform to track clicks, signups and payouts. Common ones for software include PartnerStack, Impact, Rewardful, FirstPromoter, Tolt, Dub and PromoteKit.
Why it matters:
- You get a dashboard. You can see your clicks, referrals and pending commissions yourself, instead of trusting an email.
- Payouts are automated. Most platforms pay affiliates on a fixed schedule.
- The company pays for the tool. A business that pays for affiliate software usually intends to run the program properly.
A program that tracks referrals through "send us an email with the customer's name" is not a scam, but it is a warning sign. You have no proof of what you are owed.
2. Read the payout terms
Every program has terms, usually linked from the affiliate signup page. Look for these points:
- Payout schedule. Monthly is common. Some pay every two weeks, some quarterly.
- Holding period. Most programs wait 30 to 60 days before a commission becomes payable, in case the customer asks for a refund. That is normal. A holding period of several months is not.
- Minimum payout. A threshold of $25, $50 or $100 is common. A very high threshold can mean you never reach a payment.
- Payment methods. PayPal, Stripe, bank transfer or Wise. Check that at least one works in your country.
- Commission duration. "Recurring" can mean for life, for 12 months or for 3 months. See our list of lifetime recurring affiliate programs.
If the terms are missing, or do not say when and how you get paid, ask before you promote.
3. Look for rules that can cancel your commissions
Some rules are standard. Others can wipe out your earnings if you miss them:
- Self-referrals. Almost every program forbids buying through your own link.
- Brand bidding. Many programs forbid ads on their brand name. Breaking this rule usually voids all commissions.
- Coupon sites. Some programs do not pay for traffic from coupon or cashback sites.
- Last-click attribution. If another affiliate's link is clicked after yours, they usually get the sale.
- Cookie duration. A 7-day cookie means a viewer who buys on day 8 earns you nothing. Our recurring vs one-time guide shows how cookie length changes the real value of a program.
4. Check what other affiliates say
Search for the program name with "affiliate" on Reddit, X and YouTube. Look for:
- Affiliates sharing payout screenshots or monthly reports.
- Complaints about missing commissions, closed accounts or unpaid balances.
- Whether the affiliate manager answers questions.
One angry post is not proof, but a pattern of unpaid affiliates is.
5. Check the company itself
A program can only pay if the company is healthy:
- Is the product active? Recent updates, a working changelog, an active blog or social accounts.
- Is pricing public? You cannot estimate commissions if you do not know the price.
- Do customers stay? A product with many cancellation complaints will cut your recurring income short.
6. Test with a small campaign
Before you build a series of videos or articles around one program, test it:
- Sign up and make sure your dashboard works.
- Click your own link (without buying) and check that the click is recorded.
- Publish one piece of content and watch whether referrals appear.
- Wait for your first payout before you invest heavily.
Use the free affiliate link builder to tag each piece of content, so you can match clicks in your dashboard to the content that sent them.
Red flags at a glance
- No affiliate dashboard and no tracking platform.
- No written terms, or terms that do not mention when you get paid.
- Holding periods of several months, or a minimum payout you will never reach.
- Commission rates far above everything else in the category with no explanation.
- The company asks you to pay a fee to join.
Legit software affiliate programs are free to join.
Use a directory to save time
Every program on AffiDex shows the commission rate, structure, cookie duration and payment methods side by side, so you can compare terms before you sign up.
Compare programs in your niche with the commission benchmark, browse recurring programs, or get a shortlist matched to your audience on Find your match.